This invention relates to pulsed-transmission, narrow-band, echo-ranging sonar systems, and more particularly to an improved method of searching for objects in the volume of a body of water.
The principal object of this invention is to provide an improved method of acoustic detection of objects located in the water column.
A second object is to obtain a more complete coverage of the entire water column (i.e., detect objects closer to interfaces such as sea surface and bottom).
A further object of this invention is to increase the detection probability and reduce the false alarm probability over conventional designs.
A further object is to make more effective use of the limited space for sensor arrays on a small torpedo-shaped sonar towfish.
A further object is to make the performance of the sonar independent of sea state and type of sea bottom.
A further object is to search the widest possible path in a single pass with a given vehicle diameter.
A further object of the invention is to be insensitive to non-uniform motion of the sonar vehicle.
A further object is to make the performance of the sonar substantially independent of the proximity of the sonar to the sea bottom or surface.